Ammunition-shell.



1. DE CASE.

AMMUNITION SHELL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I, I9Is.

1,294,059. 4 Patented Feb. 1I, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

IN VEN T01? .Lw/M13. cML fi. Wam

TTRNEY 1. DE CASE.

AMMUNITION SHELL.

APPucATmN FILED AuG.2l.191a.

1,294,059. Patented Fb. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JN VE' NT 0E JMMEQCML 5g, ku CL. (Lum/[LAM Tron-Nar JOSEPH DE CASE, 0FCLEVELAND, OHIO.

AMMUNITION-SHELL.

Application filed August 21, 1918. Serial No. 250,773.

To all whom it may Concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH DE CASE, a `subject of the Kingof Italy,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful ImprovementsY in Ammunition- Shells, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates ,to ammunition shells or cartridges, and has forits object to provide a shell having certain advantages as will appearfrom the following description.

One object of the invention is to provide a shell with a charge of shot,and devices by means of which the shot will be permitted to scatter at agreater or lesser distance fromthe muzzle of the gun. With ordinaryshells used in shot guns or heavier guns the shot when dischargedtravels in contact with the surface of the bore of the gun, which scoresor erodes said surface. By means of the present invention the shot isconfined in a casing until it reaches the muzzle of the gun after whichthe casing breaks or ruptures and the shot spreads or scatters. Theinvention embodies a powder case and a shot case connected together bymeans permitting them to be readily separated when the powder isexploded, said device consisting conveniently of a cord treated with aquick burning material, connecting the two cases, this cord being burnedwhen the powder is exploded.

After the shot case is discharged from the muzzle of the gun it willseparate and the shot will scatter, the time of the fracture of the shotcase being toa certain eX- tent controlled in advance.

The invention will be found useful in shrapnel projectiles as well as inshells for various kinds of guns, and the cartridges can be loaded intomachine gun belts and fed into automatic revolvers and machine guns aseasily and rapidly as the standard cartridges now in use; and a furtherfeature of the invention is that the shot will scatter without theemployment of a second eX- losive charge in the shot case which may emade of paper or other light material, which will protect the bore ofthe gun at the time of discharge, but which will rupture after leavingthe muzzle to permit the shot to scatter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of onetype of shell Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

embodying the invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on the line 2-2 and3 3-of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a. longitudinal section of another type ofshell. Fig. 5 is an end View of Fig. Ll. F ig. 6 is a detail of a smalltube in the shot case, the purpose of which will be explained. Fig. 7 isa longitudinal section of another modification and Fig. 8 is a sectiononthe line 8 8 thereof. Figs. 9 and 10 are similar views of anothermodification. Fig. 11 is a plan of one of the parts shown in Fig. 9.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 6 is a powder casing and 7 thepowder therein. 8 is a shot casing or cylinder, the barrel of which ismade in two semi-circular parts joined with a lapped joint, as indicatedat 8a. This is closed at the front end by a disk 8b and at the rear endby a cup-shaped base 12 made of rather stouter material and joined tothe cylinder 8 at the line 8b. This base fits within the front end ofthe powder.

thence through the disk 8b, the shot chamber containing the shot 9,thence through circular grooves 13b in the front end Of the base 12, andthence rearwardly through holes in the base and through the powderchamber and through holes in lugs 14 at the rear end of said chamber.Where it extends through the passages in the base 12, the cord isknotted as indicated at 17 and the knots are engaged by set screws 13,one or more of which may be used. When the gun is fired, the cord l1will be burned in the powder chamber, and the shot case as a whole willleave the muzzle of the gun and will remain intact as long as its parts8, 10 and 12 are held together by the cord, and the time of thisoperation will depend on the number of set screws 13 used. These setscrews engage the knots and prevent any slip or release of the cordholding the parts together until the knots have been burned,

at which time the shot case will fall to will be released and the shotcase, being made of light material, will break or fall to pieces and theshot will scatter. To delay this action the second or third set screwsvare used and the cord will not b e released until the correspondingknots are reached and burned off, the cord being made of quickburningmaterial as above stated. Accordingly the time of the scattering of theshot can be controlled to a certain extent.

In the form shown in Fig. 4 the parts are substantially the same asabove described, with the following exceptions, although the cylinder 8in this case is made in one piece instead of two, this form beingintended more especially for small-arms.

The main di'erences''eferred to relate to the means for controlling theburstin of the shot case. The knots in the cor 11,

- which fastens the parts of the shot case together, instead of beingengaged by set .screws are engaged or held in a corrugated tube 18 whichis set in the base of the shot case, with the knots engaged by thecorrugations, the timing of the release of the cord being controlled bythe number of knots. If only the knot nearest the powder chamber isused, the shot case'will fall apart as soon as the knot is burned. Ifadditional knots are used, the action will be delayed until they are allburned.

Figs. 7 to 11 are developments of the same i lea. In Fig. 7 theknot-engaging tube'18 is inclosed or telescoped in a sleeve 18a and setin the shot chamber between the cap and base walls thereof, the timingbeing controlled in a manner similar to that described with respect toFig. 4.

In Fig. 9 a spiral tube 20 is used through which the cord passes, thistube being inclosed in a sleeve 19 set in the shot case. The length ofthe spiral tube 20 controls the time of release. If a short tube isused, the cord will soon burn and allow the shot ease to fall apart. Ifa longer tube is used, this action will be delayed accordingly.

The invention may be embodied in various other forms within the scopethereof and no limitation in this respect is employed in consequence ofthe particular forms shown.

It may be remarked that since the cord 1l, before tiring, not only holdsthe parts of the shot case together, but also holds the shot case joinedto the powder case, the former will easily release when that part of thecord l1 in the powder case is burned; hence there is but little recoil,as the rear end of the shot 1(ase can be set in the powder case at aneasy I claim:

1. A shell comprising a powder case, a shot case, and a combustible cordconnecting said cases and located within the powder case.

2. A shell comprising a powder case, a shot case having a head and acord extending from the head through the shot and powder cases andconnected to the base of the latter.

Y 3. A shell comprising a powder case, a shot case made in sections, anda combustible connection between the powder case and the sections of theshot case.

4. A shell comprising a powder case, a shot case itting in the endthereof and consisting of several sections, and a combustible connectionbetween the sections and the shot case.

5. A shell comprising a powder case, a shot case fitting in the endthereof and consisting of several sections, and a combustible connectionbetween the sections and the shot case, said combustible connectionbeing provided with means to control the time of release thereof.

G. A shell comprising a powder case, a shot case fitted thereto andhaving a separable head, and a cord extending from the head through theshot case and connected to the powder case, to hold the parts together,and adapted to be burned by the explosion of the powder.

7. A shell comprising a powder case, a shot case tted thereto, said shotcase consisting of sections, a cord connecting said sections andprovided with a series of knots and extending through the powder casefor ignition by the powder, and means engagin more or less of the knotsto vary the time o release of the cord, to permit the separation of thesections of the shot case.

In testimony whereof, I do ailix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH DE CASE. Witnesses:

JOHN A. BOMMHARDT, ROBERTSON BoWIE.

